Purnululu National Park

Purnululu National Park protects the Bungle Bungle Range, a field of orange-and-black banded sandstone domes in the East Kimberley that was declared a national park in 1987 and UNESCO World Heritage listed in 2003 specifically for those dome landforms. The country is that of the Gija and Jaru peoples, the park's Traditional Owners. The banding is the real hook: orange layers are oxidised iron compounds drying too fast for life to take hold, while the grey-black stripes are cyanobacteria — a living skin — on layers that hold moisture longer. It's a textbook-described weathering phenomenon, not decoration.

What surprises first-time visitors is the effort-to-reward ratio. There's no easy way in: 53km of narrow, corrugated Spring Creek Track with multiple creek crossings and steep pinches, high-clearance 4WD only, 1.5–3 hours for that final stretch alone. The reward is two distinct walk areas 47km apart — the northern gorges (Echidna Chasm, Mini Palms Gorge, Homestead Valley) near Kurrajong Campground, and the southern domes and gorges (Cathedral Gorge, the Domes Trail, The Window, and the Piccaninny Gorge multi-day route) near Walardi.

What to expect

Reviewed 22 September 2026

You turn off the Great Northern Highway — roughly 250km from Kununurra or 108km from Halls Creek — onto Spring Creek Track, and for the next 53km you understand why people fly in instead. The track is narrow, corrugated, cut by creek crossings, sharp corners and steep sections; allow 1.5–3 hours for this stretch alone and don't attempt it in anything but a high-clearance 4WD. Single-axle off-road trailers are permitted; caravans and 2WDs are not. There is no phone coverage for the whole drive in, and no fuel anywhere in the park, so you arrive with at least 300km of range in reserve and a plan for what happens if something breaks.

The park splits into two areas about 47km — roughly 80 minutes' driving — apart. At the northern end, Kurrajong Campground (about 100 sites, no campfires, generators at some sites 8am–9pm only) sits near Echidna Chasm, Mini Palms Gorge and Homestead Valley. At the southern end, Walardi Campground (37 sites, also no generators or fires) serves Cathedral Gorge, the Domes Trail, The Window and the Piccaninny Creek walks from the Piccaninny carpark. Facilities at both are deliberately basic: no-flush pit toilets, untreated bore water you must boil or treat before drinking, and no showers. Optus reception flickers intermittently at the visitor centre and campgrounds and vanishes entirely in the gorges; free wifi exists only at the visitor centre. Book ahead — up to 180 days — and pay camping fees by card when booking.

Once you're walking, the domes take over. The orange-and-black banding is two different weathering processes working the same sandstone: the orange stripes are oxidised iron compounds in layers that dry out too fast for anything to colonise them, while the grey-black stripes are cyanobacteria — a living skin — on layers that stay damp longer. Stand close and you can see the texture difference. Cathedral Gorge, 2km return from the Piccaninny carpark, winds through the beehive formations, descends between two rock walls and opens into a huge natural amphitheatre of red rock with a still pool at its centre; the acoustics are famously good and it has occasionally been used for small concerts. The alternative return via the Domes Trail loops back through the domes instead of retracing your steps.

In the north, Echidna Chasm is the other essential: 2km return along a dry creek bed past Livistona palms into a slot gorge with walls up to 200m high, narrowing to about a metre in places, with boulders wedged overhead and boulder scrambling at the end. Time it for late morning to early afternoon, when high sun reaches down into the slot and lights the walls orange and red — this is one of the few Kimberley walks with an optimal time of day rather than an optimal time of year.

Cathedral Gorge is Class 4 and Echidna Chasm Class 4–5 — difficult, rough surfaces, rock-hopping — despite their short distances. Beyond them, The Window is a 6km-return, roughly two-hour Class 4 walk on the Piccaninny Creek track past Cathedral Gorge, framing the domes through a natural rock opening. Piccaninny Gorge itself is a different proposition entirely: a serious, unmarked multi-day route for experienced, self-sufficient hikers only, with mandatory registration at the visitor centre and no permanent water on route — everything carried in. Drones are prohibited throughout the park. Go in the June–September core, carry more water than feels reasonable, and the remoteness that makes Purnululu awkward is the same thing that makes it unforgettable.